Multiscale dynamics of C₆₀from attosecond to statistical physics

Abstract

C60 is a fascinating object that has become remarkably useful for experimentalists and theoreticians to study photo-induced processes in large many-particle systems. In this review article, we discuss how the knowledge accumulated over the past 30 years on this molecule provides a large panel of mechanisms that occur from the intrinsic time scale of electronic motion that is attosecond, to long ‘macroscopic’ time scale (second). This illustrates the multiscale aspect of dynamics in photo-excited systems, which connects coherent quantum processes to classical and statistical mechanisms. This also shines light onto future experiments and theoretical work required to complete the global picture of light-induced mechanisms in fullerenes.

Diffractive Imaging of C60 Structural Deformations Induced by Intense Femtosecond Midinfrared Laser Fields

“…[2] and references therein). Since its discovery, the soccer ball shaped C 60 -the archetypical fullerene -remains the focus of most ongoing scientific studies aimed at unveiling its properties (see [3] for an in-depth review). The nonlinear, nonresonant interaction of C 60 with strong femtosecond lasers has been the object of numerous investigations [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13].…”

Cross sections for photoionization of fullerene molecular ions Cn+ with n = 40, 50, 70, 76, 78, and 84

“…The discovery of C 60 in 1985 by Kroto and collaborators [1] has motivated numerous investigations of the unique properties of fullerene molecules during the ensuing three decades [2,3]. Fullerenes bridge the gap between free molecules and pure crystalline solids because of their nanometer size, hollow cage structures, homonuclearity and symmetry, giving rise to novel phenomena.…”

Femtosecond dynamics of correlated many-body states in C60fullerenes

“…It ranges from attosecond dynamics in electronic excitation and ionization to statistical physics describing thermalization processes. So, lightinduced processes in fullerenes cover more than 15 orders of magnitude in time [11].…”

“…Accessing energy dissipation upon the excitation of correlated many-body states in gas phase C 60 became feasible recently which allows to connect the coherent quantum [28,30], classical and statistical mechanisms [31]. It is known from experiments with optical lasers that electron thermalization mediated by inelastic electron-electron collisions takes place on a time scale of 50-100 fs (see [11] and references therein). This is where the present experimental and theoretical work comes into play.…”